U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, has announced that the committee will hold a hearing on October 29 to review the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) disability compensation process. The hearing will include testimony from the VA Inspector General and representatives from veterans service organizations, and will address recent reports from The Washington Post regarding issues in the VA’s disability program.
Senator Moran stated, “Millions of veterans depend on disability compensation from VA to help them cope with serious health conditions they experienced while serving our country. I continue to hear from these veterans about how difficult it is to navigate the complex and time-consuming disability compensation process to receive the benefits they are owed. Making the system work better and faster for these veterans should be a top priority. During this hearing, the committee will hear from veterans about how VA’s disability system is, or is not, working to deliver benefits accurately and quickly to veterans, dependents and survivors. I also look forward to hearing from VA Inspector General Mason about safeguards to protect the integrity of the disability benefits process from anyone who may seek to take advantage of it.”
Recent articles by The Washington Post have highlighted cases where VA service-connection disability compensation was reportedly exploited, leading to concerns among veterans and advocacy groups.
Joy J. Ilem, National Legislative Director for Disabled American Veterans, commented, “While VA has made progress in recent years reducing the claims backlog, far too many veterans still experience delays and a confusing application process. Worse, there are some people spreading false and misleading characterizations about disabled veterans or seeking to roll back their earned benefits. We are pleased that Chairman Moran will be holding a hearing to explore ways to make the claims system more accurate, transparent and fair—while safeguarding against fraud. We appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight on disability compensation as well as share our recommendations for strengthening this and other vital benefit programs.”
Further details about the hearing are expected to be announced soon.
